From the Ground Up: Looking back at the masterpiece next door

It's natural — especially at this time of year — to be leaning like plants do — toward the light of the future. But do not forget where you have been, what difficulties you have surmounted — even the smallest heroic leaps. And most important, count your blessings, as syrupy as that sounds.

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Posted Dec. 30, 2012 at 12:01 AM

Posted Dec. 30, 2012 at 12:01 AM

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It's natural — especially at this time of year — to be leaning like plants do — toward the light of the future. But do not forget where you have been, what difficulties you have surmounted — even the smallest heroic leaps. And most important, count your blessings, as syrupy as that sounds.

Many of us are too future-oriented, always pressing onward toward a goal that erodes the present. It takes effort to slow down to a point where you can absorb just being, and luxuriate in it. Mind you, as I write this I am trying to make deadline, etch a list of resolutions and correct a hundred papers ...but no matter. In my mind's eye I'm revisiting the summer, the garden, and in particular, the garden next door created and tended by owner James Nordquist.

To stroll — for that is what the body does naturally in such a place — is one of the great delights of summer. To do so in Jim's garden is to be, in turns, delighted, amazed, transfixed, roused, comforted and inspired. I know I'm doubly blessed as he carries on what my friend, the late Ginny Rowland, had spent years dedicating herself to: creating a masterpiece. That land over the wall has always been loved.

By car, by bike, by foot, with dog, with a friend or alone, I must pass by his property hundreds of times in a week, and not once does his handiwork go unnoticed. Spring right through winter, it's a head-turner — such is the skill and care that he takes to beautify his property. Here is a case where the grass IS greener!

When the local garden club ladies approached me about being in last summer's tour, I steered them next door. "Here's your man," I told them. I went on the tour and witnessed the wow effect of Jim's talent. I'd watched him through the seasons, preparing and planting, and clearing and adding, in early morning and after the workday — in all kinds of weather — I would see him not only working in the garden, but enjoying it too. The casual conversation that follows between neighbors ensued and I found myself emulating his dedication and attention to detail and ardently admiring his work.

The fact that his garden is always immaculate is certainly commendable. But the true genius lies in the way it's conceived. The design is very different — with triangular-wedges as part of the bedding pattern. There are more traditional beds too, fanning off the stonewalls that separate our properties and extend the house and outer buildings. These are not your typical one-dimensional foundation plantings but a richly studded canvas of color, texture and shape. The combinations of plant material is unique with edibles next to ornamentals — and in fact edibles are used as ornamentals! Scale and color are daring and yet controlled. That fact that it fits the land and the house is perhaps the most admirable aspect of his gardening art.

His nonchalance is another. "As a kid, I learned quickly that gardening was a lot of hard work. My earliest gardening memories were picking beans and weeding: two forms of punishment doled out to me by my parents," Jim said, when asked how this hobby sprouted. "Eventually, I began having vegetable gardens of my own, reaping the rewards of all my hard work each year. My brother and sister also developed into successful gardeners."

As with any passion, it continued to flourish, as he notes: "Now, gardening remains an important personal interest, having expanded beyond vegetables into perennials and other ornamentals that provide beauty. I have developed a keen interest in the unusual, collecting plants from different growers and plant societies and clubs. This has had the unexpected results of good, long lasting friendships with others who share these interests. Sharing plants and ideas helps motivate me to continue developing my gardens."

It might have just snowed, but looking at these photos and recalling the summer, and how we maybe sometimes take it all for granted, should give us pause. The good news is we can try again to make it what we hope for, as a new year unfolds. Gather your forward momentum, make your to do lists, prepare the layouts, invest in the water fountains or whatever you desire and let your oasis happen!